User consoles and their use cases

The innovative AVEVA composable and model driven solution architecture provides a click reduced and uniquely personalized user experience in the Operator Console and Supervisory Console with context driven information and automatic generated tasks to be executed via ready to use use cases. This is enabled via a standardized and modularized FRAME and module layer on which predefined use cases will run after the handover of the context they should be executed.

Use Cases

MES use cases describe how the user uses the MES to achieve a particular goal. The specific goal could be to 'start a job' or to 'complete a job' or can be an extended use case like 'Material exception including quality checks'. Typical informational use cases of an MES are View job Detail, View BOM, or view a certain dashboard of the MES.

Beside this individual use cases, predominantly executed by task selection in the Task list of the Operator console, AVEVA provides also bundled MES use cases combined in one tab to enable a fast access for a specific role (e.g., a supervisor). An example for these bundled use cases is the Performance Management tab. This tab combines the use cases for Assign Utilization Event Reasons, Split Utilization Event and Merge Utilization Event.

AVEVA provides comprehensive use case libraries to compose predefined use cases in a Plug & Play & Configure approach for a very fast time to value approach.

Composition Engine

The composition engine generates the context for the use cases (task driven UI) and the console content (context driven UI). It defines what use case and page header Information will be shown to who, when and with what content. It enables the extensibility of use case content and the exchangeability of already linked use cases (exchange by adapted use cases or by completely new created use cases). The configurable context in the composition engine is based on the asset to work on (characteristics, capabilities, etc.), user role or even individual user, user skills, or material to be produced and others.

Operator Console

The Operator console provides an innovative 'click-reduced' task driven user interface (TDUI) which provides context related access to status information, tasks and use cases which require the operator’s current attention. The automatically filled task list guides the operator through the production steps without the need for intensive navigation though the MES application. By selecting a task in the task list, the context related use case will be presented to the user.

Key elements of this innovative user interface approach are the composition engine which provides the selection and the context of use case and an intelligent context passing functionality.

Supervisory Console

The Supervisory console provides personal and context related access to information and use cases which are relevant for typical supervisory kind of roles. Enabling more functional bundled use cases combinations in (e.g., tabs) the Supervisory console is empowered by the same composition engine and context passing as the Operator console.

Composing an MES Solution (5 steps)

1. Install the FRAME which includes all the standard components and the user consoles with an innovative context and task driven user interface approach.

2. Plug-in the required modules from the module library which are related to the functionalities requested for the use cases. In the example below, Job Management and Performance Management (including the integration to CONNECT) plug and play into FRAME which is necessary to create a simple OEE solution based on jobs.

3. Install the selected use cases from the use case library. In this stage we also create the integration to CONNECT, enabling on-premises users and cloud users (e.g., supervisors) to visualize the data in the same way.

4. Configure the selection and context for the use cases in the composition engine. In this step, the context is defined for what, when and to whom the use cases must be shown, including the variation between production equipment, user roles, material to be produced, user skills and other context criteria.

5. Integration to external systems like basic automation, ERP, 3rd party applications and others.